Sunday, November 06, 2005

Below: Republican "Josie" is heavily favored in the race for Dent Middle School student council president.Same-sex "going-together" to be central issue in upcoming race

B & P News - Columbia

The Richland County Republican Party is actively recruiting and endorsing candidates for student council races in area schools, according to a statement released last week.

"I know we've had criticism about politicizing races that are traditionally non-partisan," said county chairman Shell Suber. "But the student body needs to know where these kids stand on the issues."

Key among those issues is "same-sex going together." Several GOP student council candidates in the county have proposed a measure defining "going together" as a fleeting, week-long union of "one boy and one girl."

Next week, Congressman Jim DeMint plans to visit Dent Middle School and endorse "Josie" for student council president.

"Josie has what it takes," said DeMint in a phone interview. "Tommy [Henderson], on the other hand, is a die-hard liberal cut from the same cloth as Ted Kennedy."

Josie earned headlines -- and the endorsement of Governor Mark Sanford -- earlier this year, when she announced her plan to enforce a co-pay for students visiting the school nurse. "This entitlement spending has gone, like, too far," said Josie. "I totally join Governor Sandifer in saying, 'as if,' you know?"